The First Continental Congress Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The First Continental Congress - Research Paper Example Each colony sent representatives to the Congress except Georgia which did not want to jeopardize the aid of British troops which were needed in that colony to help fend off Indian attacks. These representatives were not of one mind, however. The historically significant meeting of 54 men which included George Washington, John Adams and Patrick Henry were divided in purpose. Some delegates such as John Adam’s cousin Samuel Adams favored democratizing the colonies though were not yet suggesting forming their own country, at least not publically. Others insisted resolving the issues with Britain were the only sensible way and the meeting’s only intention. The convening of the First Continental Congress was meant to unite the colonies and gain the attention of the Mother Country and in that, its goal was accomplished. The colonists had considered themselves British citizens for the approximately century and a half they had been in America and likely would have continued thi s loyalty to country if the British Parliament and King George III had not restricted trade, increased taxation and permitted Colonies seats in House of Commons. Britain and France were engaged in costly battles both in Europe and America. Desperate to raise funds to pay back debts caused by continued military endeavors, Britain passed the Sugar Act on April 5, 1774 which not only levied a tax on American sugar but prohibited the importation of rum and French wine. The Stamp Act followed the next year requiring stamps to be purchased to sell many common products such as newspapers and playing cards. Stamps are still required today on liquor and cigarettes. Britain justified the tax claiming it was to pay for the protection provided its soldiers to protect citizens from Indian raids, a reason that did fell on deaf ears. Since 1770 the majority of colonists had been against British soldiers occupying America. On March 5th of that year tensions between soldiers and citizens reached its peak when soldiers fired shots into a taunting mob throwing ice-balls and sharp oyster shells at them. The event is popularly known as the Boston Massacre, an incident that might have escalated into all-out war at that time if not for John Adams. He successfully defended the British soldiers against a backdrop of a mob-mentality existing in Boston and spreading through Massachusetts along with the other colonies. (â€Å"American Revolution,† (2012). Following the Boston Massacre, Parliament abolished the Townshend tax which ended the taxes on just about everything except tea which led to another historical event. In December, 1773, colonists disguised as Indians boarded several English ships anchored in Boston Harbor. They tossed 342containers of tea into the sea to protest the tax and British occupation. George Washington, a member of the Virginia House, was concerned this overreaction to a three pence tax would cause the British, known for their ruthless tactics, to retali ate. Samuel Adams, leader of the Sons of Liberty, was â€Å"convinced that the tea duty had to be stopped at all costs and that their symbolic action had aroused America from its slumber.† (Chorlton, 2011 p. 34). Unlike Washington, they were happy because it forced American colonists to take sides. In May of 1774, Parliament passed the Massachusetts Government Act which nullified the Colony’s Charter and made town meetings illegal. The Administration of Justice Act soon followed. It allowed for British

Zero tolerance policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zero tolerance policies - Essay Example Zero tolerance policies are not effective as they cause more harm than good to an institution and the student offender at hand. Despite the conflicting arguments on the zero tolerance policies, it has been widely used as a means of controlling school disruption and chaotic instances. Punishments given to all offences are severe disregard of the intensity of the incidents. The zero tolerance policies has its limitations in that it fails to address the underlying causes of the incidence therefore making it ineffective in countering crimes effectively. Recently, most schools in the America and Europe have embraced this policies which has led to most students being suspended or even expelled from their respective schools. A number of concerns and questions have aroused due to a research on this policies. Among the questions include, â€Å"Do zero tolerance policies in schools reduce incidents of bad behavior? and What are the societal consequences of suspension and expulsion of students who violate these policies? Juà ¡rez, pp. 415-416)†. Little evidence is available to credit school safety and improve b ehavior in students subjected to this policies. Research on the effectiveness of expulsions and suspensions as an educational intervention, and other ethical concerns has generated data that shows the negative effects of the zero tolerance policies. This data has led to a change in punishments adopted in different schools which matches the offences committed and preventive measures of bullying and improvement in class management. Research done on finding of alternative ways of punishment will help schools in developing more effective and intrusive methods of school discipline. In September 17, 1999, a fight broke between students of rival gangs in a football game at Decatur High School in Decatur. In October 1, 1999 the School Board expelled the seven students, all black from the school for two years. This move provoked reaction

The Performance Measurement In Business Logistics Commerce Essay

The Performance Measurement In Business Logistics Commerce Essay Performance measurement can be defined as the process of quantifying effectiveness and the efficiency of an action (Neely, Mills, Platts, Gregory, Richards, 1994). Given the lack of any universally definition for performance in the organizational literature, it should not be surprising that extant literature offers many ideas about the dimension that ought to be incorporated into a conceptualization of logistics performance. One of the best examples is the framework where physical distribution effectiveness is defined as the extent to which distribution programmes satisfy customers [Rhea Shrock, International Journal of Logistics Management, 5, p. 3. supply chain management encompasses the logistics management which plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers requirements(Anonymous 2002). Performance measurement in the logistics functions, like starts at the individual metric level. Because of the great abundance of metrics already in existence there is forceful need for a method with which to evaluate the existing metrics. Quantitative and Qualitative measures are the two basic categories of Logistics indicators. Qualitative measures include such as product quality, customer satisfaction etc. and quantitative measures include such as order-to-delivery lead time, cycle time, flexibility, resource utilization, delivery performance, etc. Non-financial and financial are two broad categories of Quantitative metrics of supply chain performance. In fact, in the late 1880s return on investment (as a financial measure) was the main emphasis. (Schermerhorn et al.,, 2000). However as the second progressed during 1980s, the world market changed and overseas competitors began to take market share from the domestic and national companies who were unable to provide higher-quality products with lower costs and more diversity. National companies shifted their strategic focus from cost production to quality, flexibility and short lead time, as non-financial measures to gain the competitive edge in the market (Stewart, 1995). Business logistics performance metrics could also be classified as Operational Day to day technical representation developed schedule adherence avoiding complaints defect free delivery Inventory carrying cost(Levy (1997); Lee Billington (1992) Information carrying cost (Steward (1995) Tactical purchasing order efficiency Cycle time procedures booking Cash flow, Quality assurance flexibility transportation cost Capacity Strategic Rate of return on Investment Total cash flow time lead time comparison Quality level and quality assurance cost saving supplier pricing measuring against market(Gunasekaran et al. (2004) query time The critical elements that form the basis of logistics management are time, distance and money. Some utilization, productivity and effectiveness metrics used in the logistics management are: Dimension Metric Example Utilization Actual input/norm input Area of warehouse occupied/ total area Productivity Actual output/actual input Ton-miles delivered/cost incurred No of orders processed/ no of hours of labor Effectiveness Actual output/norm output No of shipment on-time/no of shipment sent Utilization measures: They are used to track the use of input resources in process. In logistics, input could be characterized as financial, physical assets or inventory. Utilization metrics include the following: Spending measures Purchase price variance Distribution cost as percentage of sales Variance of transportation cost from budget Non financial resources measures Usage ratios Amortized costs Inventory measures Static metrics (capture level of inventory expressed in physical, financial or other terms) Flow metrics (capture speed of inventory as it flows through the system over a period of time) productivity measures Partial productivity measures (SFP-single factor productivity ratios ) Total factor productivity measurement Financial productivity measurement (ROI-return on investment )( (Frameworx, 2005) Effectiveness metrics Order fill rates( order filled /orders requested Line item fill rates( total line items not filled / shipped in time per period Damage rates (line items damaged per order) Order cycle time (elapsed time between receiving request and delivering order) Delivery or transit time (elapsed time between readying order for shipment and delivery order)( DfT, 2004) On-time ( orders shipped on time or orders received by customer on time ) Perfect deliveries (orders received by customers with no logistics service fullness) Importance of performance Measurement The importance of measurement is everywhere as you get what you inspect, not what you expect. Hence, the importance of performance measurement cannot be denied. Therefore, to evaluate work done and to direct the activities metrics are required ((Melnyk et al. 2004). . Pressures (globalization, severe competition, and changing customers needs) are significantly driving force in the present era requiring the organizations to re-focus on utilizing of people and resources based on organizational objectives. A performance measurement system is needed to evaluate the resource utilization so that the organizations can strategically manage and properly control. It has been pointed out that in order to take action for ensuring desired results a performance measurement system is essential tool of controlling process. (Schermerhorn and Chappell, 2000) Measuring performance is necessary, because of the following reasons (which vary from organization to organization) are 🙠 Parker (2000) Success identification Measuring whether they are fulfilling the customer requirements; Help them understand their processes: Problems bottlenecks waste, etc. Identification Making sure that decisions are based on fact, not on supposition, emotion or intuition; and Disclose improvement planned, actually happened. Case Example To fully utilize the performance measurement system of logistics a firm has to implement latest technological infrastructure so efficient logistics operations could work flawlessly. Here we examine the case of Transcom Inc. that is a known to be the one of the leading edge a distributor of seals and bearings in Burnsville, Minn. it has successfully enhanced its performance measurements in its supply chain operations through implementing and incorporating latest technological measurement tools in its supply chain operations. Transcom was able to find numerous ways to speed up the order-to-ship process and reduce costs through this strategy that is through effectively measuring the performance of the logistics operation with the help of appropriate technology. Analysis of performance data resulted in improved inventory control, increased product turns, increased shipment volumes and reduced line-item labor costs. Implementation of technological performance measurement tools increased the not only efficiencies of Logistics such as efficiencies in our distribution center but also created efficiencies purchasing, inventory control and customer-service departments. (Dennis Bollinger 2006) Conclusion: The a firms approach in establishing logistics measurements system does not matters a lot as the real value come when the information is acted upon to align the effectiveness and efficiency of the logistics process performance to value the customers. The role 3PL can have in your success is dependent on when you start measuring your logistics performance (james S. Keebler and David A. Durtsche 2007). One of the logistics challenges is that organizations have to be more responsive, with high levels of flexibility in delivery. The emphasis should be on processes and performance rather than on functions and profit. The competitive battleground will be in the fields of quality, productivity, speed and innovation. Progress towards performance excellence will be aided greatly by relevant and integrated measurement frameworks and models (Christopher (1994).

People Are Sheep :: miscellaneous

People Are Sheep Every person everywhere in the United States is consumed by what the media tells them: what to do, what to wear, where to go to shop. People will swear up and down that they want to have their own identity, and they will even go to great lengths to attain it, yet, inevitably, they all fall into a â€Å"clique† with millions of others. Nobody wants to be a follower, but in terms of youth culture, nobody can really be a true leader. Nobody, that is, except the media. The American people, young and old alike, line up like sheep and follow the media shepherd wherever it leads. After a pathetic plea from my 13-year-old brother, I reluctantly agreed to take him and a few of his buddies to the mall to shop for basketball shoes. Although taking a slew of opinionated, loud-mouthed, smart-aleck teenagers shopping was not high on my priority list, spending time with my little brother was. So off to the mall we went. On the way the increasingly louder arguments over which shoes were the best made me want to drive my car straight into a tree. The one topic that kept rolling media presuaded tounges was that of the many different shoes they had seen on television. That’s when it hit me, my brother and his buddies were being led to slaughter --the mall-- by the media shepherd. As we pulled into the parking space at the mall, I barely had time to put the car in park before my crazed passengers, a pack of teenaged hooligans, barreled out of the car and raced for the door. By the time I caught up to my mob of shoe shoppers they were already in a shoe store, each with a different shoe in hand. My little brother had already strapped a pair of hideous shoes to his feet and was bouncing around the store acting like he was Kobe Bryant. I asked him if he liked the way the shoes looked, or even if they were at least comfortable, and his reply was, â€Å"who cares? Kobe Bryant wears them so they’re awesome!†. I gave the shoes a closer inspection, because if they were good enough for Kobe Bryant, they were good enough for my little brother. At least in my little brothers mind. When I peered at the price tag my knees got weak, and I nearly fell over.

Health Write Up Alcohol Essay

Alcohol is one of the most abused drugs in America. It is easily accessible, cheap, and perfectly legal to buy and consume. The way alcohol works is that it enters your bloodstream and moves into the biological membranes in your body. Up to 20% of alcohol consumed is absorbed through your stomach lining and 75% is absorbed in your upper intestine directly into the blood stream. Absorption rate is increased if you mix with carbonation, it is decreased with food, and if you drink higher concentration of alcohol (ie 80 proof or higher) absorption is also slower. The amount of alcohol absorbed along with factors of weight, body fat, sex, and in some cases race all depends on your blood alcohol concentration (or BAC). This is the ratio of alcohol absorbed to the rate of your metabolism. Alcohol is only metabolized through the liver, and cannot be speed up with the use of exercise, drinking coffee, eating certain food, or taking a cold shower. Alcohol has a generally negative impact on health. Chronic use of alcohol will have the user develop sever cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), higher blood pressure, various cancers, and major cognitive impairments, memory loss, including dementia. The constant abuse of alcohol or alcohol dependence will cause people to live shorter lives and they will have withdrawal symptoms when they don’t have a drink for periods of a time. However, there is help very readily available for those who are seeking a change in their drinking habits with many programs of all types.

Motivating Middle School Boys Essay

Abstract Middle school is a time of physical, emotional and social change for boys. When students hit middle school, academics tend to take a back seat to all of the new activity in their lives. For boys, middle school is increasingly difficult. In addition to the physical and emotional changes, the academic curriculum becomes more challenging and rigid. This does not align with a typical boy’s learning style. Many boys in middle school are struggling through hard times at home. Situations may include challenges such as little to no parental support, poverty, and malnutrition. With all of the possible circumstances disrupting their home lives, it is hard for these boys to concentrate on how to solve an equation in math class. Teachers need to motivate boys by providing relevant, hands-on curriculum. Three ways that teachers can do this is by including family members in the classroom, using friendly competition in the form of games and contests, and by relating mathematical lessons and material to real-life situations and interests that the boys might have. Introduction By seventh grade, most students have had years of poor attendance, little parental support, and many other issues related to poverty. They simply do not see the importance of mathematics in everyday life and how math can lead to better things for them. Males, in particular, want to continue the lifestyle they were raised in; showing little to no effort when it comes to the math classroom. This paper discusses three reasons why mathematics teachers should incorporate meaningful motivation strategies as a tool to motivate middle school males in the mathematics classroom. Including Family in the Classroom. One way that teachers can help to motivate boys in the middle school classroom is to include their families in the classroom. The relationship between family and school influences the academic achievement of middle school students. These family relationships and parental involvement mold students’ educational development drastically. Murdock and Miller (2003) refer to family as a major influence in how middle school boys deal with learning, peers, and motivation. They state â€Å"families play the most important role in students’ lives as they transition from elementary school to middle school†. The absence of a parent can play a very important role in the success of a student, so when the student sees that there is a connection between the classroom and their family, they are motivated to succeed. Middle school math teachers should try their best to create a sense of family cohesion and teamwork in the classroom. Teachers can do this by always making sure parents are aware of what is happening in the classroom, keeping the lines of communication open, and even incorporating projects that might need the student to work with a member of their family to complete it. Haim Ginott’s theory of congruent communication states that teachers should always use communication that is harmonious with students’ feelings about situations (Charles, 2008). This can be applied to idea of including families in the classroom because teachers need to keep the lines of communication open not only with their students, but with their students’ families. By taking the time to talk to students about situations arising in the classroom, it will be easy for teachers to communicate with parents about similar situations and the lack of motivation within the classroom. When students know that their families are involved in their academics, they are more inclined to succeed in the classroom. Introduce Competition Next, a second way that teachers can help to motivate middle school boys while in the classroom is to include the use of different games and contests. Most boys respond well to competition with their peers. They will force one another to greater speeds, improved accuracy and higher achievement in the name of winning. Boys thrive on competition, so any type of game or activity that allows them to go against a peer in a competitive manner will motivate them to perform. In the following quote, Conti explains why he believes that competitions in the math classroom can spark an interest in math for boys. â€Å"Mathematics competitions are probably the extracurricular academic programs with the widest participation. The most immediate value of these math contests is obvious – they pique students’ interest in mathematics and encourage them to value intellectual pursuits. Boys love games, and many will turn just about any activity into a contest, or in other words, something to get good at. Math contests thus inspire them to become good at mathematics just like sports encourage physical fitness. Eventually, students put aside the games. By then, hopefully an interest in the underlying activity has developed† (Conti, 2001). Teachers should create competitions by having students race against one another to solve math problems or turning a test review into a basketball game, allowing students to shoot a basket for every correct answer. The teacher could also place students in groups and award points based on certain behaviors and completed tasks. A prize would be awarded to the group with the highest score at the end of the week. Jacob Kounin would agree with this point based on his theory of lesson momentum and withitness. Kounin believes that classroom teachers should be able to do a multitude of things at one time, including presenting motivating and engaging lessons, managing the class, and being aware of the classroom surroundings (Charles, 2008). He states that good teachers keep students from getting bored or otherwise frustrated with lessons. By including competition in the form of games and contests in the classroom, the teacher is able to keep the boys motivated with a lesson while still controlling the needs of the class. When boys know they have a chance to show off their skills by winning something, they will immediately become engaged and motivated to participate. Provide Connections to Real-Life Therefore, a third way that middle school math teachers can motivate boys within the classroom is to connect the material to real-life applications. Students, particularly those who come from backgrounds that undervalue education, will benefit from this strategy. Stein (1993) expressed his belief in real-world connections revolving around math lessons by stating â€Å"Because students often feel that mathematics is the subject least relevant to their daily lives, it is an important arena in which teachers can attempt to incorporate students’ funds of knowledge in the context of culturally relevant mathematics instruction†. For middle school boys, school itself is often the least important factor in their lives. Teachers can tap into their focus by relating topics to important interests in their lives. One way for teachers to do that is to use democratic teaching; a theory of Rudolf Dreikurs. Democratic teaching occurs in a classroom in which the teacher and students work together to make decisions about how the class will function (Charles, 2008). This applies to the idea of connecting math with real-world situations. Students want to know how what they are learning will benefit them in their future lives. By brainstorming different topics and careers that the students are interested in, the teacher can then develop lessons that explain how those interests or careers are affected by mathematics. Teachers should show boys how math affects their everyday lives in areas such as: household maintenance, calculating car mileage, budgeting, making larger purchases (cars and houses), or solving problems that are important to them. Connecting math to future careers can also help to motivate boys in math class. Many unmotivated boys do not realize the importance of math for success in college or the role that math plays in careers that are not overtly math-oriented. Stein also claimed that by using problems that interest and excite the students’ curiosity, students are keen to develop important problem-solving strategies. These strategies can be applied in everyday situations, not just in the mathematics classroom. Conclusion The use of meaningful and male-related motivational strategies in middle school mathematics classrooms are a great way to motivate and help boys succeed. Most boys are very intelligent when it comes to numbers and math, however it may seem â€Å"too cool† to get good grades and to apply yourself. Middle school is where students generally begin to find themselves, and a determined teacher can help to motivate students to choose the right path. A teacher’s responsibility is to make sure they have done everything in their power to help their students succeed. This means reaching out to parents, changing lessons to fit the needs of the unmotivated students in the classroom, and changing your classroom management strategies to help engage and excite the students. With little to no parental support or guidance for many boys in the classroom, a male math teacher may be exactly what these boys need. But will these same strategies work with a female math teacher? References: Charles, C. M. (2008). Twentieth-Century Pioneers in Classroom Discipline. Building Classroom Discipline (Ninth Edition). Boston: Pearson. Conti, R. , Collins, M. A. , & Picariello, M. L. (2001). The impact of competition on intrinsic motivation and creativity: Considering gender, gender segregation  and gender role orientation. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(8), 1273- 1289 Grossman, H. (2004). Classroom behavior management for diverse and inclusive schools. (3rd edition). Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. Murdock, T. , Miller, A. (2003). Teachers as Sources of Middle School Students’ Motivational Identity: Variable-Centered and Person-Centered Analytic Approaches. The Elementary School Journal, 103(4), 383-399. Stein, S. L. (1993). Young’s vision. The Mathematics Teacher, 86, 330-333.

JUDICIAL REVIEW essays

JUDICIAL REVIEW essays : uncategorized : Pros and Cons of Judicial Review Pros and Cons of Judicial Review Judicial Review is the power given to Supreme court justices in which a judge has the power to reason whether a law is unconstitutional or not. Chief Justice John Ma Click Here to Search COSHE's Database Again Judicial Review is the power given to Supreme court justices in which a judge has the power to reason whether a law is unconstitutional or not. Chief Justice John Marshall initiated the Supreme Courts right to translate the Constitution in 1803 following the case of Marbury Vs. Madison, in which he declared the Supreme Court as the sole interpreters of Constitutional law. This is one of the sole purposes of the Supreme Court of the United States. Many Historical thinkers would find some difficulty in imagining a government set up to limit the power of itself,but others would argue that this form of government best works for the people, and not against them. The treatment of the Constitution by the Supreme Court as a "living" document that is able to be translated differently over time for the good of the people has as many skeptics as it does supporters. But, if we do not allow the Supreme Court to translate the Constitution who then, should the people chose to do such an important job. If we were to look back at the ideas and thoughts of some of the greatest political thinkers of our time, we would find that individuals such as Plato, Niccolo Machiavelli, and John Locke, would share extremely different views as to whether or not Judicial review, and the Supreme Court as a whole, would be successful in their ideal government situations. One of the earliest political philosophers Plato, would find our present day governmental setup of the Supreme Court to be the ideal group to deal with the United States situation. Plato felt that government should be run by enlightened ...

Peyote Use by Native Americans essays

Peyote Use by Native Americans essays Today there are few narcotics in the United States that have widespread legal use. Cocaine, marijuana and LSD are illegal drugs. There possession and or consumption is illegal. Peyote however, is one drug that is illegal but, the federal government has made certain exceptions allowing the use of peyote provided users meet certain criteria set forth by the government. With the United States having launched a full scale war on drugs, many feel that the government making exceptions for certain groups to use drugs is unjust, and sends a confusing message for our children. Should any certain group be allowed to use or possess a drug with no legal consequences? Peyote is a hallucinogen which grows naturally in parts of the southwest United States and Mexico, mainly around the Rio Grande River. High doses of Peyote will cause an amphetamine like reaction, increasing blood pressure, pulse and respirations. More notably, high doses of peyote cause a person to have vivid, colorful hallucinations, impairing color and space perception (Alcohol). Surprisingly a persons insight is retained and there is a wide margin of safety while on the drug. Peyote grows in the form of a spineless cactus. The cactus is blue-green in color, bears small pink flowers and has a carrot shaped root. The mushroom-like crown, called a peyote, or mescal button is cut off often chewed, brewed as a tea, or rolled into pellets and swallowed for its narcotic effect. The active substance in peyote is mescaline, a naturally occurring, psychomimetic drug. Peyote tastes bitter, it causes an initial feeling of nausea, then produces visions, changes in perception, time sense and mood. There are no uncomfortable after effects such as a hangover. Peyote is not a physiologically habit forming. That is, a person cannot become chemically dependent on peyote. In 1970, Congress passed a Controlled Substance Act which specifically prohibit...

Make Crystal Pinecone Ornaments

Make Crystal Pinecone Ornaments Crystal pinecones are real pinecones that you can coat with crystals to make ornaments that appear frosted with ice and snow. These decorations are easy to make and can be preserved to use year after year. Its the perfect crystal project to make homemade ornaments with kids or to practice growing crystals. Crystal Pinecone Materials The most important material is the pinecone. Choose any genuine pinecone. It doesnt even need to be in great shape, since you can crystallize over any imperfects. The other ingredient is a salt that forms pretty crystals. I used borax, but you could use alum (big chunky crystals), table salt (small sparkly crystals), Epsom salts (fine needle-like crystals), or sugar (chunky rock candy crystals). Sugar or salt are nice if youre worried about kids or pets tasting your creations. If you use borax, it is also great for making crystal snowflakes, which you can make at the same time, if you like. pineconewaterborax (or one of the other ingredients)jar big enough so you can completely cover the pinecone with liquid If you want to hang the pinecone, like for a Christmas tree ornament, youll also want a hook or wire. Crystallize the Pinecone If you are going to hang the pinecone, its easier to add the hook before the crystallization process. Attach an ornament hook or run wire around the pinecone first.Figure out how much water you need. Rather than mix the crystal solution right in the jar, I prefer to fill the jar with water, then heat it to boiling and pour it into a mixing bowl. This way, its easy to filter the solution and remove any undissolved material.Stir in your crystal ingredient (borax, for my pinecone). Keep adding more powder until it stops dissolving. This is your crystal growing solution. If you wanted a colored crystal coating, you could add food coloring to this mixture. For borax, youll use about 2 parts water to 1 part borax (e.g., 2 cups water and 1 cup borax).Put the pinecone in the jar. Pour the solution over the pinecone. If you have a lot of undissolved material, you can filter the solution by pouring it through a coffee filter or paper towel into the jar. Otherwise, just add it to the container, trying to avoid adding in solids. They wont ruin the project, but do affect the size of the crystals youll get. If there is undissolved solid, youll get fine crystals, like snow. Fully dissolved liquid and slow cooling gives you large, icy crystals. The pinecone will probably try to float. I put a rock on mine to hold it down, minimizing the contact between the rock and the pinecone since crystals cant grow where the pinecone is covered. It does not really matter what you use because the pinecone wont float for very long. Once it soaks up the liquid and starts growing crystals, it will sink. You can remove any weight you used to ensure coverage of the pinecone.Check on your pinecone after about an hour. If you used a weight, you should be able to remove it. You can also un-stick the pinecone from the bottom of the jar, to make removing it easier later on.Allow at least a couple of hour to overnight for crystals to grow, depending on how coated you want the pinecone. I removed my pinecone after about 2 hours. Set the crystal pinecone on a paper towel to dry.You can hang the pinecone indoors or outside. However, you might want to seal it against damage from moisture, especially for outdoor use. Make sure the crystallized pinecone is completely dry before sealing it. Id allow 3 days (though you can use the pinecone indoors while youre waiting). To seal the crystals, you can spray the pinecone with sealant, dip the cone, or paint on lacquer or varnish. Good choices include Future floor polish, Varathane, or Modge Podge. Any of several products will work just fine.

What characterizes 21st century university students Essay

What characterizes 21st century university students - Essay Example Rapidly developing technologies change the way people collect, use, and transmit information. In fact, they change the relationship between a person and knowledge he gets. Sir Francis Bacon pointed it out that knowledge is power. It is the main factor in the education. However the present situation has changed approaches in obtaining this key factor. G. Graff in The Ships in the Night tells about two undergraduate students; one of them claims that he trashes objectivity in art history, and thus he presupposes it in political science. When asked which course she prefers, another student replies: „Well, I’m getting an A in bothâ€Å". These examples imply that the students have become cynical relativists. A. Bloom in The Student and the University tells about a student of A. Koyre, who has written in his paper Mr. Aristotle, having in mind the image of contemporary but not the Ancient philosopher. Both authors discuss not only problem of institutional matters, but qualiti es of the students, as well. As a current student , I learnt two different academic approaches: the middle-European and the American one. Although the two educational systems differ in many aspects, there is a certain common feature: students face enough difficulties in their way of getting a good education. And it is not only students’ fault.... Graff argues that, what is learned seems so specific to a particular course that it is difficult for students to see its application beyond. The author compares the situation with ships in the night, which are lonely, without a clear perspective of the way they are following, and with no conversation between them. The ships in the night follow the different directions, although they could have cooperated. Broadening the question, Bloom argues that universities now offer no â€Å"distinctive vision†; this implies the presence of â€Å"a democracy of the disciplines† and ability to choose any course one wants. When a student arrives at the university, â€Å"he finds a bewildering variety of departments and a bewildering variety of courses† (Bloom, 1996). According to Bloom, there is neither an official guidance, nor a university agreement of what he should study. Thus, it is impossible to make a reasonable choice. Both, Graff and Bloom, discuss the contemporary uni versity education system problems, which deal first of all with absence of corresponding curriculum courses and at the same time with a big number of the courses, which can be taken. Except this, it is claimed that there is no conversation and connection among the courses – each discipline seems to be particularly different from others. A university as a knowledge server provides nowadays a great amount of information; there are even those courses, the very name of which seems to be vague: for instance, â€Å"Ways to philosophy†, â€Å"Modern society and sociological theories†, â€Å"Arguments about human nature†, â€Å"Dualist views development†, etc. Under these names there

Character Analysis on EDNA from the novel The Awakening by Kate Essay

Character Analysis on EDNA from the novel The Awakening by Kate Choplin - Essay Example Bloom posits that women of this time were barred from agitating for their independence and self-actualization (51). In contrast, Edna rediscovers her self -worth and acknowledges her emotional urges. This makes her abandon her former, domineering husband. She later marries Robert. In all the maneuvers, Edna, in a bid to break free from the societal norms and expectation, finds that her independence will attract isolation from the society. This owes to the general belief of many women in the society during that time. According to Bloom, Edna’s husband also objects her clamor for independence given that he strongly believes in the doctrines of society pertaining to the position of a woman in society (39). In her pursuit of painting, Edna is able to realize the beauty of individual creation and architecture. This makes her seek self-independence, regardless of the inevitable hurdles of society. Her quest for independence is emotionally driven and events happen in a sequential manner with regard to her quest for autonomy. Robert’s passion for Edna’s love is not strong enough to overcome his sense of morality. In fact, the note that Robert leaves behind is evident to Edna that she was alone despite the fact that she has obtained the hard-earned independence and self-achievement. The note articulated the fact that Robert was not ready to contravene the societal norms pertaining to women. This confirms that loneliness presents room for the independence Edna desires. The discovery of self-expression by Edna informs her of her long overdue independence. In fact, the awakening of Edna makes her learn three new concepts, including the mode of expression for the Creole women. The Creole women express themselves in a free manner and share their feelings regardless of their chastity. In addition, Edna is challenged by their faithfulness and liberty. In this regard, Edna learns that she is the architect of her

Legal Aspects Of Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal Aspects Of Business - Case Study Example He should always comply with the deadline. Failure to do so makes all his efforts fruitless. So though he delivered the product it was of no value to the customer as he had run out of time and had made other arrangements. In the case provided it's not mentioned that the contract between Alf and the customer was written or not. If the contract is written then legal action can be taken against Alf. Since verbally the customer has mentioned that he cannot work other than the stipulated time, he has all rights to take action against Alf. The written agreement between both the parties with a clear mention of the time makes Alf's case weaker. However if the customer does not have a copy of the written agreement between him and Alf then his case becomes weaker. Also if somewhere in the contract if it's mentioned that the shopkeeper is in no way responsible for any delays in delivery then too, the customer can not take any action against Alf. So though verbally Alf and the customer know about their agreement, if the customer has a written document then Alf's action can be proved a legal offence. So for the sake of law it is advisable that Alf does not impose the contract forcefully on the customer. In the second case the customer was unable to work with an ... After inspecting the gravity of the defect, the seller should replace the product, repair the fault or in extreme circumstances even refund the money if the customer is not ready for either replacement or repair. But he cannot say 'no' to the customer. Hence legally the customer can take action against Alf for not complying with the guidelines of selling electronic gadgets. In such circumstances it is advisable for Alf to refund, as he himself will not have to suffer any losses because the sellers have back-to-back service and maintenance contract with manufacturers. According to Kolah if the customer claims that the purchased product is not working properly then "Such a claim will require the interpretation of the defendant's obligations under the terms of the contract. This is because there may be express terms of an agreement the claimant and defendant concerning the purpose and standard of the product." (2002, p. 52) If it's not this, then to ensure that the product is fit for th e purpose made known to the seller, in the contract terms, the law implies that the product is of good quality and is appropriate for the buyer. In the third case too, Alf has the similar legal bindings as in the second case. Alf assured the customer at the time of sale that the saw he is selling is meant to cut anything, even steel bars. Since the saw broke down on the first day of its use, the case of misrepresentation of facts by the seller can be charged on Alf. He is liable for refund or replacement and if he is not willing to do so then the customer has all rights to drag him to court. If the seller is making a statement to the potential buyer, like in this case, according to Kolah

Security and Domestics Anti-Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Security and Domestics Anti-Terrorism - Essay Example However, there are those who have since claimed that the Federal government also surveys and taps into every citizen’s calls, financial records and so on in order to keep up with terrorist trends. This has caused widespread uproar and condemnation from the public. It is held that terrorist related surveillance must not be used as an excuse to violate the privacy of persons both in the United States and in the rest of the world. In my opinion, from the readings, the FBI, composed of several branches, offices and departments (sections) such as Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF), National Joint Terrorism Task Force, Public Internet Tip Line, Strategic Command Center (SIOC), Terrorism Fly Team, Terrorist Explosives Device Analytical Center, Terrorist Financing Operations Section, Directorate of Intelligence (ensures the FBI produces the intelligence necessary to protect the nation), Counter-Intelligence and Spy Departments and so on, is adequately organized and staffed to perform its mission tasks. The training regime is also arguably the highest of standards with different training for different personnel depending on what capacity they will be serving in the FBI. Some of the trainings include international terrorism training, domestic terrorism training, weapons of mass destruction training, legal training, and Muslim-Arab culture training (DAngelo, 2007). In addition, the FBI works in conjunction with a number of other security agencies such as the Department of Homeland (adding to personnel therefore). For combat operations on terrorists, there is at least one special combat unit for each of the 59 FBI departments. This is the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics Team) who are trained to shoot from snipers and other heavy artillery weapons and also taught how to fight and survive in harsh (hostile) environments (DAngelo, 2007). Currently, certain provisions of the

Some thing has related about ENVI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Some thing has related about ENVI - Essay Example Demand for products of crop farming in Indiana is ideal. There is an active growth in demand for products of crop farming. Moreover, the demand for farm products imports is also high. This indicates that the available supply of farm products does not satisfy the current demand. Indiana spends between 1-9.9 billion dollars for farm produce imports (Hicks, 2014). This raises concerns about the farm products production capacity of Indiana. Many forests have been cleared for the sake of creating agricultural farms. A big percentage of forest land in Indiana is privately owned (Our Land Our Literature, 2014). Therefore, there lacks national control measures for deforestation. Deforestation has resulted into reduced rains and thus reduced agricultural productivity. Moreover deforestation also destroys the natural habitat of animals and birds. Although organizations such as Indiana Forest Alliance and Heartwood have come out to educate people on the need to stop deforestation, there is still a lot to be done. The forest cover in Indiana has reduced by 59% in the last thirty years (Alexander, 2013). The agricultural sector is at high danger of collapsing due to poor climate. If campaigns against deforestation are not carried out, Indiana might spend more than 10 billion in imports for farm products. If nothing is done, the currently growing population is bound to experience challenges such as famine and hiked prices of farm products. Hicks,  M.  J. (2014).  Key Economic Sectors in Indiana: State Overview. Retrieved from Center for Business and Economic Research, Ball State University. website:

Darwin's Dangerous Ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Darwin's Dangerous Ideas - Essay Example That the human mind and brain are products of evolution is tough to contest, although some noticeable persons like the renowned linguist Chomsky seemingly disagree. Dennett also has an objectively conservative but at times confusing argument of the meme impression and the inferences of human learning ability. When Dennett gets into deliberations of his positions on the strong AI theory of mind and the nature of meaning, I don't think his suggestions of evolutionary theory are very strong and several of his arguments appear based more on equivalence than anything else. The book determines with a set of chapters on ethics. Part IIThe writer focused on the general evolutionary theories and comments about the theories rather than on the content of the videos. The writer focused on the arguments posed by the crusaders of other theories, for example the Christians who are strong advocates of the creation theory.   I agree with the writer’s explanation of natural selection and evol ution. The writer gives conclusive examples on the subject and goes on to compare it with the Christian belief. The writer’s understanding of the subject matter is irrefutable as he touches on all the aspects of Darwin’s work. The writer however could have focused more on the content of the videos to make his work totally conclusive. Dennett tries to raise evolutionary theory in an exertion to support his previous claim that the human is a "strong artificial intelligence (AI)" sort of architecture, a notion that has been battled dynamically.

Some thing has related about ENVI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Some thing has related about ENVI - Essay Example Demand for products of crop farming in Indiana is ideal. There is an active growth in demand for products of crop farming. Moreover, the demand for farm products imports is also high. This indicates that the available supply of farm products does not satisfy the current demand. Indiana spends between 1-9.9 billion dollars for farm produce imports (Hicks, 2014). This raises concerns about the farm products production capacity of Indiana. Many forests have been cleared for the sake of creating agricultural farms. A big percentage of forest land in Indiana is privately owned (Our Land Our Literature, 2014). Therefore, there lacks national control measures for deforestation. Deforestation has resulted into reduced rains and thus reduced agricultural productivity. Moreover deforestation also destroys the natural habitat of animals and birds. Although organizations such as Indiana Forest Alliance and Heartwood have come out to educate people on the need to stop deforestation, there is still a lot to be done. The forest cover in Indiana has reduced by 59% in the last thirty years (Alexander, 2013). The agricultural sector is at high danger of collapsing due to poor climate. If campaigns against deforestation are not carried out, Indiana might spend more than 10 billion in imports for farm products. If nothing is done, the currently growing population is bound to experience challenges such as famine and hiked prices of farm products. Hicks,  M.  J. (2014).  Key Economic Sectors in Indiana: State Overview. Retrieved from Center for Business and Economic Research, Ball State University. website:

Strategic Information System Essay Example for Free

Strategic Information System Essay 1. Introduction Given the rise of competition in the modern business industry, it is essential for firms to apply strategic use of information system (IS) to achieve competitive advantage (CA). In the recent years, top management of firms have little interest in the relationship between IS functions and corporate strategy leading to many problems because of failure in achieving strategies. According to Holsapple (2000), modern organizations are increasingly seen as knowledge-based enterprises in which proactive knowledge management is important for competitiveness. One of the major factors in competitive environment is knowledge management and companies for achieving the competitive advantage should concentrate in its IS. IS plays an important role in business operations as well as financial and non-financial aspects of the firm such as decision making as a big role of management. There has a growing realization to make ISs of strategic importance to an organization in the 80’s and 90’s. Systems that shape or support business unit’s competitive strategy are known as Strategic IS (Callon 1996, an Neumann 1994). According to Turban et al (2006), SIS is the ability to significantly change the manner in which business is conducted in order to give the firm strategic advantage. Porter (1996) believes that competitive advantage is at the core of a firm success or failure, such advantage seeks lead to control the market and to larger-than-average profits. This research paper provides information on how organizations apply strategic use of IS/It to achieve competitive advantage over its competitors. This paper pays particular attention to factors influencing the success or failure of organization attempts at gaining or enhancing competitive advantages, and how competitive advantages can be sustained. 1.1Background IS is a set of interrelated elements that collect (input), manipulate (process), store, and disseminate (output) data and information and provide a reaction (feedback mechanism) to meet an objective (refer to Figure 1). Figure 1.1: The Components of an Information System IS is a combination of people’s activities and information technologies that supports organisation’s operation and decisions making and strategies for competitive advantage. IS plays a vital role in business operation and financial and non-financial aspect such as decision-making. IS are classified either operations or management information systems. They are being grouped this way to identify the major roles each plays in the operations and managements of a business. An Information System consists of five basic resources: i) People Resources (end users and IS specialist) ii) Software Resources (programs and procedures) iii) Hardware Resources (machines and medias) iv) Data Resources (data and knowledge bases) v) Network Resources (communications media and network support) SISs are systems used to supports or shape a business unit’s competitive strategy (Callon, 1996, and Nerumann, 1944). It is characterised by its ability significantly revamp the way in which a business is conducted in order to provide the firm strategic advantage. SIS is classified by its ability to change the manner a business is conducted, in order to achieve strategic advantage for the firm (Turban et al, 2006). SISs play strategic roles helping firm to gain competitive advantage or reduces competitive disadvantage by changing goals, products or processes through information systems. A competitive strategy is a broad-based formula for how a business is going to compete, what its goals should be, and what plans and policies will be required to carry out those goals (Porter, 1985). Through its competitive strategy, firms seek a competitive advantage in the industry advantage over competitors in measures such as cost, quality, or speed. The success or failure of a firm fully depends on its competitive advantage against its competitors (Porter and Millar, 1985, and Porter, 1996), such advantage seeks to lead to control of the marker and to larger-than-average profits. Through contribution to strategic goals of an organization and ability to increase performance and productivity, SIS aids an organization gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. SISs enable firms to gain competitive advantage and benefit greatly at the expense of those subjected to competitive disadvantage (Turban et al, 2006). SIS focus on improving the firm’s competitive position through increasing employees’ productivity, streamlining business processes and making better decisions (Turban et al, 2006). An organization can survive and succeed in the long run as long as it have effectively develops strategies to go up against the five competitive forces that shape the structure of competition in its industry. The Porter five competitive forces are: Businesses can counter the threat of competitive forces in which they face by implementing one or more of the five basic competitive strategies. The five basic competitive strategies are: i) Cost Leadership Strategy ii) Differentiation Strategy iii) Innovation Strategy iv) Growth Strategies v) Alliance Strategy An organization can counter the forces of competition from its competitors by implementing one, some or all the strategies in different degrees. 2.Companies using IS/IT to gain competitive advantages 2.1Cigna HealthCare CRM System In 1999, Cigna HealthCare decided to upgrade its outdated and almost extinct CRM system to improve the efficiency of business operations and then improving customer satisfaction. Cigna was operating nearly two-decade-old CRM systems to handle its daily operation needs. It had multiple units for different roles such as membership enrollment, processing medical claims and verifying customer eligibility and they were not interconnected. Furthermore, Cigna received numerous complaints from doctors as the old and disintegrating processing systems delayed their medical benefits claim payment and was heftily slapped with a US$ 300,000 fine on 29th January 2001. Cigna’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Andrea Anania planned to combine the information from the different information systems and develops a new integrated systems to handle all the process. Anania goal was for the CRM system to act like a â€Å"one-stop† portal, thus improving efficiency. Cigna awarded a budget of US$ 1 billion to develop the CRM system, which aims to reduce human intervention while speeding up the processing time of medical claims. During the implementation of the CRM, Cigna had a net loss of US$ 398 million for fiscal year 2002. This project had already exceeded the original budget of US$1 billion and had done substantial financial damaged to Cigna. 2.2Bank of America – MasterNet System Bank of America (BoA) developed Master Net trust accounting system in 1982 with a plan completion date of 31 December 1984. MasterNet consist of a large trust accounting system, TrustPlus, and eight smaller systems that augmented the core system. In 1986, migration process was greatly affected by technical problems such as poor response time and day long system crashes. In 1988, BoA announced that its trust business was being given to a subsidiary as it could no longer handle the operation requirements after a $78 million loss in the MasterNet project . 2.3 American Airlines – Knowledge Management System American Airlines understand the needs to analyze data collected through their computer reservation system, SABRE, an automated system with the ability to check flight and seats availability and making a reservation for customer developed in 1960s with IBM. In 1990, AA developed a knowledge management system, SMARTSTM (Sales Management and Report Tracking System) as a tool to leverage CRS reservation data and AA internal historical data on performance and bookings. SMARTS is able to run analysis for AA to develop finely tailored scheme based on AA’s market shares. The combination of SABRE and SMARTS creates the expertise exploitation capability for AA whose impact can be systematically assessed against the access to reservation system, which has become market-standard for competitive parity. 2.4 Wal-Mart – Point-of-Sale System Successful implementations of IS into daily practices have aided Wal-Mart in their quest to maintain the position of low cost leader (Thomas Wailgum, 2007). Wal-Mart had adopted the â€Å"point-of-sale† system; a computerized system which identifies sales of individual items, updates information into its server and modifies the on-hand quantity automatically. The system also analyzed data mined from the universal bar code and effectively transformed data collected from bar codes to useful information such as keeping track of sales trends for individual items as they are identified as an individual entity. 2.5Lesson Learned and Success Factors The author believed that the failure of Cigna CRM system was due to poor leadership and communication skills of Cigna’s CIO. Anania did not consulted professional to design the IT systems architecture required for transformation, instead she pooled 1400 employees from Cigna’s IT department and formed a team, made up of experienced project managers and new hires. Anania made an unethical decision to migrate 3.5 million customer’s data at one go instead of 10,000 per group to the new platform with out testing the integrity of the system due to pressing date lines leading to serious customer service problems surfacing immediately. As Cigna had lay off majority of its service center employee, believing that the new CRM will improved its productivity with lesser human input therefore leading to a shortage of experience staffs. Feedbacks and input from stakeholders was ignored by the managements during the development of the system, thus leading to the down fall of the CRM system and hitting Cigna with substantial financial damaged. The author feels if Cigna’s management culture had led to the failure of the IS. MasterNet have a leader who have a vision of technology but was not well versed technically and was too involve in other problems to focus on the project. BoA made two critical mistakes in handling of MasterNet. Firstly, BoA did not understand the difficulty involved and scope of MasterNet and sufficiently assess it risks when it was proposed. Secondly, BoA failed to take necessary fire-fighting actions when the project rolled out of control to minimize damage. The management only took notice of MasterNet when it performed so badly that it merited $23 million loss. Many mistakes made with respect to MasterNet were not specifically related to IS. The combinations of SMARTS and SABRE have assisted AA to become a market-standard for competitive parity. SMARTS is a system with ability to organize data by city, zone and territory of sales representative with analytical and presentation capabilities. SMARTS was design to provide reliable detailed information to sales representatives to influence travel agencies behavior strategically. Previously, sales representatives doesn’t have complete information about market shares and performance data of travel agencies in his territory and the job consisted mainly preserving a good working relationship with the travel agent. With the aid of SMARTS, the sales representatives are able to analyse market trends in detail and could easily identify opportunities than before, thus maximising productivity. Through the use of SMARTS system, AA’s intangible sales knowledge is enhanced as it is able to interpret movements in share and market. Aside to that, SMARTS help representatives highlight weak markets to the travel agency mangers to focus on. According to Mr. Jack Williams, Senior Vice-President of AA, SMARTS have introduced a huge culture change in their sales-force associated with the leveraging of the expertise as a result of the information in the system thus bringing an enormous advantage to AA, not easily copied by their competitors. The introduction of the barcode system have help Wal-Mart to maintain its low cost leadership. This system helped Wal-Mart to speed up its checkout cashier efficiency and eliminate problems of cashier keying in the wrong price for a product by scanning the barcode as previously the cashier have to manually key in the prices of all the goods according to the price tag. Aside to that, Wal-Mart was able to track its stock level and placed order when required. The system also has the ability to identify slow running products and prevents Wal-Mart from overstocking them. Through improving its information system, Wal-Mart has created a high barrier of entry for any company who wishes to enter the chain hyper-market industry. 3.Discussion Factors influencing organization to use IS as it business strategy are relatively dependent on internal and external forces of the business surrounding environment (Bob William, 2009). Internal forces that require considered and looked into are the current financial position of the firm. Budget required for IS implementation are considerably high, management allocating the funds for investment must be ensured minimal or perfect deployment of the IS. On top of that, employees capabilities also plays an important role during IS implementation. Firm needs to ensure that employees are at least computer literate and will have no problem operating or accessing the new system, else additional cost may be bared by the firm for training. The firm also needs to access the efficiency and effectiveness of its existing system and whether there is a need to upgrade or revise the current system to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. Changes in consumer tastes, preference and purchasing pattern are external factors driving organization to implement IS. Consumers are becoming more IT savvy and surveys have shown customer swaying their purchasing pattern to electronic purchase due to convenient and time saving (James D. Gwartney, 2006). Companies need to understand and study consumer expectation and needs in order to analyse and implement business strategies to ensure business growth. Therefore, both internal and external factors are important consideration for implementation of IS to gain a competitive advantage as they complement each other. From the above examples, correct implementation of IS will give the firm a competitive advantage over its competition. Firms must understand their position from Porter’s five competitive forces and develop strategies and counter it to maintain competitive. As Howard et al, (1999) believed that competitive advantage could be gained if strategy development and ISs design are addressed simultaneously. Porter’s model identifies five competitive forces that affect competitive advantage in the market place. In order to establish a profitable and sustainable position, company needs to develop strategies of performing activities differently from its competitors to overcome these five forces. Strategy| Definition| Example| Strategic use of IS| Business Benefits| Cost Leadership| Produce products and/or services at the lowest cost in the industry| Dell Computer| Online build to order| Lowest-cost producer| Differentiation| Offer different products, services, or product features| Moen Inc| Online customer design| Increase in market share| Innovation| Introduce new products and services, put new features into existing products and services, or develop new ways to produce them| American Airlines| Analyse data| Market Leadership| Growth| Increase market share, acquire more customers, or sell more products| Wal-Mart| Merchandise ordering by global satellite network| Market Leadership| Alliance| Work with business partners in partnerships, alliances, joint ventures, or virtual companies| Wal-Mart/ Procter Gamble| Auto inventory replenishment by supplier| Reduced inventory cost/increased sales| Information systems can be used to help firms gain competitive advantage with the help of Porter’s competitive forces model for analyzing competitiveness and proper implementation of IS. According to Michael Porter, the main types of competitive advantage are low cost provider, differentiation and focus. Companies have use porter’s model to increase competitive edge and also demonstrated how IS can enhance competitiveness of corporation (Turban et al. 2006). Finally, firms need to sustain competitive advantages gained from the implementation of IS. In the real world, competitive advantage doesn’t normally last very long and is generally not sustainable over the long term (O’Brien 2011). When a firm gains competitive advantage over its competitors through innovation, competitors figure out how it was done through organizational learning. To neutralize the effect, competitors adopt the same or similar innovation and what was once a competitive advantage is now a competitive necessity. When these occur, firm needs to figure out new innovation to gain a competitive edge and the cycle starts. 4.Conclusion Technologies have changed the way business operates today. Manual processes in the past are now being automated and electronic communications have been heavily introduced in today’s business world. IS have evolved over the years and offer new possibilities to gain competitive advantage. Many businesses today have realized the important of technology and power it possess, but fail to understand the possible benefit achievable. The author learned that through proper planning and implementation of IS will lead to a competitive advantage gain for the organization. With the aid of IS, it will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of staff in the organization which in turn will save labor and consumable cost. 5.Reference Ahlemann Frederik. (2009). Towards a conceptual reference model for project management information system. International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 27, No.1, pp. 19-30 Ankit Bhatnagar. (2006). Strategic Information System Planning: Alignment of ‘IS/IT’ Planning and Business Planning, Unitee New Zealand. Amber S., Brooke W., Cheri E., Ismael M. Wesley B. (2011). Wal-Mart Information System Benjamin, R.I., D.W. Long, and M.S. Moron (1990). Electronic Data Interchange: How Much Competitive Advantage?. Long Range Planning, 23:1, pp. 29-40. Bruns, W,J, and F,W, McFarlan (1987). Information Technology Puts Power in Control Systems, Harvard Business Review, Sep-Oct, pp. 89-94 Callon, J. D., (1996). Competitive Advantage through Information Technology. New York: McGraw Hill, USA. Christiaanse, Ellen., Venkatraman, N. (2002). Beyand Sabre: An empricial test of expertise exploitation in electronic channels. MIS Quarterly, Vol. 26, No.1, pp. 15.38. Davenport, T.H., M. Hammer, and T.J. Metisto (1989). How Executives Can Shape Their Company’s Information Systems, Harvard Business Review. H. Russell Johnston and Michael R. Vitale (1988). Creating Competitive Advantage With Inter-organizational Information Systems. MIS Quartely, Jun 1988, pp. 153-165. Ives B., and G. P. Learmouth (1984). The Information System as a Competitive Weapon. Communication of the ACM Jeffery. G. Szilagyi. Bank of America’s Masternet System: A Case study in Risk Assessment Jeremy A. (2011). Supply Chain Management at Wal-Mart Johnston, H.R. and Carrico, S. R. (1988). Developing Capabilities to use Information Strategically. MIS Quarterly, pp. 37-48. Mahmood Hemmatfar (2010). Competitive Advantages and Strategic Information System. International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 5, No 7, pp 158-169 M. Vinaya Kumar (2007). CRM Implementation Failure at Cigna Corporation, ICFAI Center for Management Research. Porter, M. E. (1996). What is a Strategy? Harvard Business Review, November – December 1996, pp 45-59. Porter, M. E. (2001). Strategic and the Internet. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 79, No. 3, pp 62-74. Porter, M.E., and V. E. Millar (1985). How information gives you competitive advantage. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 62, No. 4, pp. 149-158. Ross, J. W. et al. (1996). Develop Long-Term Competitiveness through IT Assets. Sloan Management Review, Vol. 60, No 4, pp. 132-148. Teo, T. S. H. (2000). Using the Internet for Competitve Intelligence in Singapore. Competitive Intelligence Review, Vol. 8 Issue 2, pp. 16-23.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Irr Finance Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Irr Finance Essay Internal Rate of Return of a project is a discount rate at which the net present value of a project is zero. In case of several independent projects, a project where IRR is greater than the cost of capital shall be accepted and in case of mutually exclusive projects, the project with a highest IRR shall be selected. It is also known as realized rate of return. (K.J.S. Satyasai) Net present value indicates the impact of a projects value on firms value. The projects with a positive NPV shall be selected and those with a negative NPV shall be rejected not to be undertaken. In case of mutually exclusive projects, the project with a largest NPV shall be selected. NPV is computed as the difference between the present value of the project cash inflow and the present value of the project cash outflow. Capital budgeting is a process by which firm decides among the various long term projects which project is to be undertaken. The factors to be considered while deciding various projects is the cash flows generated from the project and the cost related to that project. How to Calculate IRR measures the growth of the portfolio in absolute terms. To compute internal rate of return, we should use either trial error method or average capital base. Trial error method This method requires certain information for the time under consideration All inflows of capital for the project. All outflows of capital for the project. The beginning value of the project at beginning of the computation period. The ending value of the project at end of the computation period. PV = Sum of (FVi / (1+r) ni) + FVe / (1+r) N Where, PV represents the present value, FVi represents future cash flow i, ni represents number of period i, r is IRR, FVe is end value and N represents the number of period. Average capital base method IRR = (End Value Begin Value Total Contributions + Total Withdrawals) / (Begin Value + Total Weighted Contributions Total Weighted Withdrawals) Where Total Weighted Contributions Total Weighted Withdrawals = Sum of (Each Change in Capital Xi (Days Left in Period for Xi / Total Days in Period)) Advantages and Disadvantages of IRR Advantages: It takes into consideration the time value of money while evaluating a project as compared to ARR method (Accounting Rate of return) which does not takes it into consideration. This method is simple to interpret as compared to other methods. It does not require to compute hurdle rate or required rate of return. The required rate of return is a rough estimate and IRR is not completely based on required rate of return. Disadvantages: It ignores the actual dollar value of benefits. Assumes that the project will generate future cash flow which is reinvested at IRR. If a project generates low IRR, then it will assume reinvestment at low rate of return and on the other hand if the other project has very high IRR, it will assume reinvestment rate at very high rate of return. But this is not a realistic situation. As at the time the cash flows are generated, will have same investment opportunities is very difficult. In case of certain projects, a manager may require to invest into certain contingent projects also. So, IRR ignore these additional costs. IRR may suggest to purchase a asset but the benefits derived from that project may be wiped off by the cost of the contingent project. In case of mutually exclusive projects, that is the manager if selects then he has to reject other projects. In such a case IRR is not suitable as it gives a percentage of interpretation value which is not sufficient. It does not take into consideration the duration of a project in case two projects are evaluated with different time period. Other competitive methods Pay Back Period (Investment appraisal techniques, The Institute of Chartered Accounts England and Wales) Refers to time required for cash generated from a project to become equal to the initial cash outflows. This method is an initial screening method where by a manager can determine the initial time period by which projects return would equate the cost invested in a project. Hence, it would reject a project whose payback period is more than the targeted payback period. This method is very simple to use. It enhances the liquidity by focussing on early pay back. This method is alone is not suitable to determine the real worth of a project as it has several disadvantages: Ignores the timing of cash flows with the payback period. Ignores the cash flows after the end of an project as well as the total return of a project Also ignores the time value of money. In case two projects has similar payback period then it is difficult to determine which method is suitable. It could also lead to excessive investment in short run. It takes into account the risk of the timing of cash flows but does not take account of the variability of the cash flows. Accounting Rate of Return (Investment appraisal techniques, The Institute of Chartered Accounts England and Wales) ARR is defined as the average accounting period as a percentage of the accounting outlay. Higher the ARR better it will be. In order to select a project, ARR should be above the minimum acceptable level. The main advantage of the project is that it is very simple to calculate and understand. But it has several disadvantages: It does not take into consideration the timing of the project. It is subject to various accounting policies as it is based on accounting profits rather than cash flows. It ignores the time value of money. It does not take into account the size of an investment as it is a relative measure rather than absolute measure. Net Present Value (Investment appraisal techniques, The Institute of Chartered Accounts England and Wales) The difference between present value of future cash flow of an investment and the amount of an investment. Discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques discount all the forecast cash flows of an investment proposal to determine their present value. The main advantage of this methodology is that it takes into consideration the time value of money. If NPV is positive, it indicates cash inflows from a project will generate a return more than the cost of capital hence the project shall be undertaken. If NPV is negative then it indicates that the inflows from a project would generate a return lower than the cost of capital, hence the project shall not be undertaken. If NPV is zero then it indicates that the cash inflows from a project would generate return same as the cost of investment, hence the project should not undertaken as it would have certain inherent risk and will not generate any wealth to the shareholder. Disadvantages: The project size could not be measured or is not reflected. It is difficult to compute. It is difficult to compute appropriate discount rate. It may not give appropriate result when projects have unequal span of life. Time Value of Money Time Value of Money (TVM) is based on the principle that money is available at the present time is worth more than the same amount in the future due to its potential earning capacity. It is an important concept in financial management and can be used to compare investment alternatives. The drivers of time value of money are inflation, consumer preferences and risk. The concept has an impact on the appraisal of long term projects. So, the future cash flows are discounted to reflect the time value of money. The total of these discounted cash flows reflect the true value of a project. Disadvantages This method requires an estimate of the cost of capital to decide a project. In case of mutually exclusive projects, the method does not give value maximizing decision. In case of capital rationing it does not give value maximizing decision. This method cannot be used in situation where the sign of cash flow during a project more than once during the life of a project. Conclusion IRR is an appropriate method to select a project as it considers the time value of money. As in todays world of competition, inflation plays a very significant role which decreases the value of money over a period of time. So, by considering these factors it becomes one of the methods while evaluating a project. Recommendations Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages so a manager should be very careful while selecting an appropriate methodology. If a manager chooses a wrong methodology then he would end up selecting a wrong project and can incur heavy losses. Appendix

Banquos Purpose in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- essays research pap

Banquo's purpose in the play is the quintessential foil of Macbeth, both in acting, as well as in meaning. Shakespeare utilizes Banquo in order to create opposite moods to what is the drive of the play, which is Macbeth and his wife plotting, scheming, and murdering, by offering great solid blocks of integrity, passion, and goodness, that slightly descend into questioning. In contrast to Macbeth's ambitious state, his transformation into an immoral form of such a state, and his acting on such, Shakespeare creates Banquo in order to give the reader a feeling for contrasting points in order to augment, and practically create, the play. When confronted by the Weà ¯rd Sisters for the first time, both Macbeth and Banquo are given prophesies, however, the wiser Banquo is able to qualm his curiosity. Banquo attempts to share his knowledge with Macbeth by explaining ?to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths to betray?s in deepest consequence (I.iii). Banquo immediately questions the prophecies and their potential, wisely tempering his ambition without further ...

George Orwells Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Im

George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Imperialism    The glorious days of the imperial giants have passed, marking the death of the infamous and grandiose era of imperialism. George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the solider and the elephant turns this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism. The importance in the shooting of the elephant lies in how the incident depicts the different aspects of imperialism. In this essay, the elephant and the British officer help prove that imperialism is a double-edge sword. The shooting of the elephant is the incident that reveals that imperialism inflicts damage on both parties in a imperialistic relationship. The British officer, Orwell, displays many aspects of the being the "absurd puppet" under the institution of imperialism.(3) He is the evidence that "every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at."(3) His experience with the natives conveys how imperialism harms the imperialistic countries as well as their colonies. To give reason to their forceful colonization, the imperialists must strip themselves of their own freedom as they constantly try to "impress the natives" to prove the superiority of the white man.(3) Colonists find the need to become racist against the natives because it is convenien t for the colonists to patr... ...he elephant, and the elephant, who painfully dies, focuses the reader's attention on the suffering that imperialism causes for both parties. If the shooting was justified, Orwell's argument would have been immensely weakened. The symbolic story in the Shooting an Elephant is an attack towards imperialism. Orwell presents the ironic truth that imperialism benefits neither the imperialist nor the countries they colonize. It is perhaps sad to see that men were once willing to buy in to the fraudulent and ephemeral glory that imperialism have offered. Hopefully, men have learned their lessons and no other animal will be sacrificed for men's greed. Works Cited: Orwell, George. "Shooting An Elephant." An Age Like This, 1920-1940, vol. 1 of The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. ed. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. New York: Harcourt, 1968. George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Im George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Imperialism    The glorious days of the imperial giants have passed, marking the death of the infamous and grandiose era of imperialism. George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the solider and the elephant turns this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism. The importance in the shooting of the elephant lies in how the incident depicts the different aspects of imperialism. In this essay, the elephant and the British officer help prove that imperialism is a double-edge sword. The shooting of the elephant is the incident that reveals that imperialism inflicts damage on both parties in a imperialistic relationship. The British officer, Orwell, displays many aspects of the being the "absurd puppet" under the institution of imperialism.(3) He is the evidence that "every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at."(3) His experience with the natives conveys how imperialism harms the imperialistic countries as well as their colonies. To give reason to their forceful colonization, the imperialists must strip themselves of their own freedom as they constantly try to "impress the natives" to prove the superiority of the white man.(3) Colonists find the need to become racist against the natives because it is convenien t for the colonists to patr... ...he elephant, and the elephant, who painfully dies, focuses the reader's attention on the suffering that imperialism causes for both parties. If the shooting was justified, Orwell's argument would have been immensely weakened. The symbolic story in the Shooting an Elephant is an attack towards imperialism. Orwell presents the ironic truth that imperialism benefits neither the imperialist nor the countries they colonize. It is perhaps sad to see that men were once willing to buy in to the fraudulent and ephemeral glory that imperialism have offered. Hopefully, men have learned their lessons and no other animal will be sacrificed for men's greed. Works Cited: Orwell, George. "Shooting An Elephant." An Age Like This, 1920-1940, vol. 1 of The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. ed. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. New York: Harcourt, 1968.

Road Carnage in Africa

Hot Topic Road accidents (Carnage) in Kenya. How organizations can contribute to address this imminent Human and Economic crisis. Table of Contents 1. Introduction to road accidents in Kenya2 2. The main issues with road accidents5 3. Other subsidiary issues7 4. The effect of road accidents to businesses and the economy 8 5. Prepare to manage road safety challenges in an organisation 10 6. Dealing with ethical and legal issues 13 7. Future implications if issue is not addressed 15 8. Bibliography17 1. Introduction Last year, 1 day before Christmas day, the Kenya Traffic police led by the Police Commissioner, Mr Mathew Iteere launched yet another National Road Safety Campaign aimed at curbing road accidents during the holidays and cutting the holiday period road accidents rate by 50% from the tradition high of 200-300 accidents that happen during that period from 24 December to 5 January (Daily Nation, 24th December 2009). In his Christmas message, The Police Commissioner regretted that most road accidents in Kenya can be avoided (even eliminated). He noted that road accidents are mainly caused by carelessness (human error and poor judgement) y road users. He singled out over-speeding, over-loading, none use of the safety belts and disregard of the Highway Code as the most abused traffic rules today. In his widely televised message, he issued a warning to careless drivers and directs the traffic police (blue boys) to act on those that abuse the traffic rules. Such a road safety crackdown is not new in the 46-year old post- independence Kenya. But those actions should be strengthened and be made into routine practices that have a longer timeframe enabling one to build the much needed sustainability. It’s a widely known fact worldwide that road accidents cost huge amount of money let alone the lost human resources especially to the developing and undeveloped economies (WHO & World Bank report, 2004). The combined human and economic cost is simply not acceptable to poor countries that want to boost the standard of living of their majority population with very scarce resources. According to a recent report done jointly by the World Bank and the World Health Organisation (WHO) on road traffic injury prevention, road accident statistics are quickly becoming the global catastrophe as shown below. 1. 2 million People are estimated to die globally each year on our roads. That’s around 3,000 deaths daily of which 500 of them are children. ? 50 million people are estimates to be injured globally on road injuries each year, 15 million seriously. ? Developing countries account for more that 85% of the global death toll from road traffic crashes or accidents. ? The global finan cial cost of road traffic injuries is about 518 billion USD each year (about 2-4% of GDP). Such is cost is equivalent to 50% of the GDP of Africa the continent (Kenya Statistics, 2004). For males aged 15-44, road traffic injuries rank second (after HIV/AIDS) as the leading cause of premature death and ill health worldwide. ? By 2020, unless action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to rise to about 80% in low and middle income countries especially developing countries (WHO and World Bank report, 2004). Clearly, it is as difficult to accurately determine the economic burden of Africa's road traffic accidents, as it is to collate accident data in the first place. There are the problems of under-reporting to contend with, as well as different countries adopting different criteria e. . defining a road traffic accident fatality (Odero & Heda, 2003). Some countries define a fatality as one occurring on the scene, others for periods of 24 hours, three days or 30 days after the e vent (Bamburi Cement, 2009). Today road accidents are Africa's third biggest killer, after Malaria and HIV/AIDS (WHO & World Bank, 2004): Africa's roads are the most dangerous in the world, but with a growing awareness of the true cost of road accidents, initiatives are underway to dramatically improve their safety. Road traffic accidents are known to be a major cause of death and disability throughout the developing world, but nowhere is the problem as acute as sub-Saharan Africa. Bad roads, aged vehicles and lax regulations are all considered major contributing factors to Africa's road fatality and accident numbers, themselves three times as great as the continent's share of motor vehicles. It’s this nationally critical issue that we want to study and propose urgent remedial actions for organisations as well as non-governmental organisations operating in Kenya. . The main issues with road accidents in Kenya The key issues with the road accidents and road injuries in Kenya are not new. For our literature review, Kenya has had a long history of road safety initiatives that have not lived to deliver the much needed breakthrough results. In 1979 a National Road Safety project was initiated and implemented with funding from the Finnish government, though few results can be seen 30 years late r (Kenya Roads Board, 2009). Kenya looses about 3,000 persons every year through road accidents annually. About 13,000 people are injured of which 6,000 are seriously injured and need long term medical treatment (Saidi & Kahoro, 2001). Most of the people who die on road accidents are vulnerable road users. These include pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists (Kenya Police, Traffic department). The majority of most of the people losing their lives are the young people, young graduates who provide the much needed skills and human resources base the country and organisations are in dire need of. A common question not asked is why educate and train a professional for over 16 years, then lose him / her on the road just before he can be useful to the country or a business organisation. First, after a critical review on all road safety initiatives in Kenya, we find 3 main issues that we believe clearly explain the poor road safety record for the past 20-30 years. 1. What to do – we know what to do, but we have trouble implementing it 2. Implementation – the challenge with implementation is due to lack of capacity at 4 main levels †¢ Inadequate Human resources Inadequate Financial resources †¢ Lack of knowledge †¢ Lack of political will 3. Collaboration – Is it then possible to build a Private Public Sector Partnership Program (PPSPP) which will implement road safety measures that can make a difference to the nation and make Kenyan roads a safer place for our children and the future generation? Secondly, the economic cost to the country is inde ed very significant (WHO & World Bank, 2004). As noted earlier, the average cost of the road accidents and resulting injuries is about 2-4% of GDP per annum. In 2009, the IMF assessed the Kenya economy GDP to be about 30 billion USD, a 2% cost per annum will translate to 600 million USD (estimated about 50 billion Kenya Shillings in one single year). It’s not doubt that such colossal amount of wasted expenditure only comes second to the annual recurrent expenditure allocated in the annual budget to Education and Health budgets (Ministry of Finance, 2008). Such a burden has huge implication on the ability of the economy to meet its needs from meagre resources that are available for nation building. Thirdly, we have a public sector that does not see road transport and accidents as a key issue as long as it does not affect them or their families. This perspective does undermine any tangible progress in road safety initiatives as it’s created no sense of ownership on role as a general public (Kenya Police, Traffic department). 3. Other issues on road accidents in Kenya While the main issues have been addressed under section (3) above, the other issues that must be addressed include the following; ? Lack of a clear policy on road transport (review of the old traffic act is now mandatory). A clear policy will create guidelines to administer and manage the road safety roadmap. ? Poor enforcement of existing traffic rules particularly by the enforcement officers, mainly the traffic police. ? Rampant corruption within the traffic department. Corruption is perhaps the single largest bottleneck to enforcing the traffic rules and does in a way create an impunity culture for PSV drivers on our roads today (Transparency International, Kenya chapter, 2008). ? Lack of a clear ownership between the public sector and the private sector on the framework to deal with road carnage. A guideline which included an approved curriculum on training and licencing of all types of drivers. ? How to develop an axis to mobilise the public to take care and protect their lives and those of other road users. 4. The effect of road accidents to organisations Our research shows that road accidents do not respect any business entities, indeed their implications transverse all business organisations. B oth private and public institutions face the full blunt of road carnage in different ways as shown below; ? Loss of critical human resources and talents in organisations The primary age group heavily impacted by the road accidents are the young people between the ages of 15 – 44. This is usually the young professional age group that provides the much needed human resources in organisations. Road accidents take away the much needed source of talent as well as the future leaders in organisations (WHO & World Bank, 2004). ? Higher direct cost of doing business in the country Loss of lives through accidents results in increased business costs, organisations face both short term and long term treatment and medical expenses. The severe injuries require more long term medical costs that result in increased medical premiums and medical costs for an organisation. On the other hand, the lost man-hours cannot easily be compensated especially in the case of a fully trained, qualified and proficient staff member. ? Higher indirect cost of doing business compared to other countries In modern day settings, injuries to family members created more demand for employees, particularly if an employee’s relative suffers injuries after an accident. Such strain impacts on employee’s morale and ability to dedicate all his abilities to get his / her work done. In addition, accidents results in increases cost of road transport (through higher insurance premiums, higher fuel consumption and delays due to traffic congestion after accidents). The business partner involved in an accident has increased cost of losing an asset, which in most cases is indirectly passed onto the organisations. For government organisations e. g. public health hospitals (Kenyatta National Hospital), higher accident victims results in higher operating expenses which have to be funded by the central government through increase of taxes on an annual basis. Unpredictable business planning Businesses rely on predictable business environment to remain profitable and continue with their operations (Kumar & Subramanian, 2000, p. 1). Road accidents hinder the predictability of the business environment through delayed delivery timeliness and increased turn-around time for organisations. In nearly all cases, these additional costs must be paid for in full by the organisations i n question, resulting to lost productivity, efficiency and profitability. 5. How can organisations better manage the road safety challenge When we talked to a number of organisations in Nairobi, we notice how heavily they have invested in state of art security and alarm systems to protect their assets (money, machines, organisational documents, policies, trademarks and patents etcetera), but few if any have developed even a simple structure to safeguard the safety of their employees while on the road. It’s important to also include human resources as a critical resource for the organisation. A great proportion of companies have not developed sound plans to safeguard their most important asset (human resources), especially when they are on the road travelling while on the Job. While road safety from the office to work is largely seen as an issue for the employee to manage, it’s paramount that organisations and their management teams provide a clear framework to provide their employees with a road safety roadmap that will enhance their vigilance while on the road to and from work. People are the greatest asset an organisation can have today. Good employees are a source of competitive advantage for an organisation (Samson & Daft, 2009). A glimpse of the few organisations that have designed an effective road safety program in Kenya today especially, petroleum companies (e. g. Total Kenya and Bamburi Cement) highlights about 5 step action plan to set an effective road safety roadmap. Each organisation needs a clear roadmap which if well implemented and incorporated in the organisation systems, will lead to improvement of safety in most of our roads today and safe companies lost man hours, sick leave, absenteeism and higher medical bills. 1. Collect data At the beginning, the organisation should assess its specific road safety context by collecting road accident statistics (road fatalities, lost time injuries, medical injuries, and first-aid injuries) and define what is measurable. The data collected should then be analysed into critical information to aid in decision making. Second the organisation should define a road safety policy with clear milestones and key objectives to be monitored on a monthly basis. A regular and consistent monitoring mechanism should be designed by the organisation, to review its progress of its road safety objective. 2. Develop a road safety plan A road safety roadmap is a mandatory document for any organisation committed to ending the carnage on our roads today. The roadmap should be a well neat and elaborate plan of action on what the organisation wants to do in improving its road safety commitment and objectives. These action plans must address the challenges on policy, enforcement, ownership, and training and self renewal priorities for the organisation. 3. Resource the road safety plan A plan is ineffective without key resources being allocated to it. The organisation should identify and sufficiently allocate two main types of resources; (1) Financial resources and (2) Human resources (competent and well trained resources. . Launch urgent interventions A key lever for a road safety action plan is to address current major gaps with immediacy to build legitimacy in the roadmap. The key areas that require immediate intervention are on;- ? Speed ? Impaired driving ? Seat belts ? Helmets ? Road mapping ? Defensive driving training ? Emergency preparedness 5. Collaborate with others Finally the organisation should plan to share its best practi ces with other institutions as a way to benchmark performance and renew its practices both on local, regional and international levels. With increased collaboration and partnership with the public sector, with a shared vision, the challenge of the road accidents and injuries will be addressed head-on by all stakeholders hence creating a sustainable avenue to address this great challenge facing organisations in the 21st century. 6. Ethical and Legal Issues The key challenges towards realising an effective road safety program in any organisation is how candid data collected or observed will be shared across the organisations so that corrective actions (that may include sanctioning) can be applied. Most of the major changes in safety awareness remain with our culture (way of doing things here) or on changing individual behaviour and taking a personal commitment to protecting other people lives. Some of the common ethical dilemmas that managers face include the following; ? Can i report the Chief Executive, Senior Managers or a friendly colleague who i noted did not adhere to the company’s guidelines e. g. driving while speaking on mobile phone on the road? Will this affect my career or my relationship with my supervisor? Can staff be required to use the Alco-blow to detect the influence of alcohol (though this is not yet legalised in Kenya)? ? Can staff carry out safety initiatives away from the office e. g. monitor staff travelling for a weekend to upcountry and are not wearing seat belts? ? Can we terminate an employee who does not comply with the organisations code of conduct on safety? ? Should i disclose an accident or should i bribe the traffic policeman to be left scot-free. A reported accident my injure my career opportunities and limit subsequent promotion changes in future. On the legal side, the main challenge remains how to deal with corruption (so called white lies) both within and outside the organisation. ? Internally, this may not be a great issue as staff can be directly sanctioned in the line with staff standing instructions and their employment contract. ? However, externally the issue with corruption (rather falsification of accident information so as not be appear guilty) is a major setback for enforcing a successful road safety roadmap. According to Transparency International, the police department has year after year been rated as the most corrupt institution in Kenya. Can they be relied upon to book violation of a driver, pedestrian or other road user fairly and equitably? This remains a key component that requires constant collaboration and use of other tools e. g. global positioning systems (GPS) to address rampant cases of cheating on the part of employees (Transparency International, Kenya chapter report, 2008). 7. Conclusion In conclusion, there is no doubt that road accidents results in huge human and economic cost to our relatively poor country (WHO & World Bank, 2004). The lives that are lost on our roads every year are critical to achieve the economic objectives of the country and organisations as well. Similarly the country has to save money to be spent towards treating road injury victims rather than providing such much needed funds to other areas of economic growth e. g. to fund projects like free primary education (FPE), improve our road network (build and repair our roads) and provide the much needed medical facilities in public hospitals (equip public hospital better). As a country we cannot afford to lose 2% of annual GDP (about KShs 50 billion) on road accidents, related injuries and long term medical treatment to accident victims. If accidents can be avoided, these resources can be allocated to other critical areas of the economy and organisations can be able to improve their productivity and become more responsible citizens. The medium term impact on the economy is indeed catastrophic and as a country we will not be able to meet our vision 2030 to becoming an industrialised nation. It’s time for all Kenya, young and old to participate to improve their safety standards in our roads and make Kenya a safer country for our children future. As a nation we owe this to the future generations of this country. As noted by the World Bank and the World Health Organisation in 2004, unless action is taken, by the year 2020, road traffic injuries are predicted to rise to about 80% in low and middle income countries (developing countries). Our country will not be spared if it does not take immediate and more radical actions to manage the road safety issue. At today’s road accident frequency rate, road accidents will become the 2nd largest cause of death after Malaria in Kenya by the year 2020 and surpass HIV/AIDS as the 2nd largest killer (WHO & World Bank, 2004). This is confirms our recommendation that as a country we are sitting on a time bomb. Today is the time for you and me to develop our solid action plan, put these actions into practice and contribute towards improving the safety in our roads. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. WHO & World Bank. (2004). World report on road traffic injuries prevention. Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. ho. in/violence-injury-prevention. html 2. The Kenya Roads Board. Road accident statistics (2009). Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. krb. go. ke. html 3. Bamburi Cement limited. Road safety campaign â€Å"Epuka Ajali† (2009). Accessed on 31 December 2009 from http://www. bamburicement. co. ke. html 4. Kenya Police. Traffic department. Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. ken yapolice. go. ke. html 5. Kenya Statistics. (2004. ) Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. unicef. org/infobycountry/kenya-statistics. html 6. Odero, W. K. & Heda, P. M. (2003). Road traffic injuries in Kenya, magnitude, causes and status of intervention. Inj Control saf promotion, Mar-June 10 (1-2). Pg 53-61 7. Saidi, H. S. & Kahoro, P. (2001). Experience with road traffic accidents violations at the Nairobi Hospital. East Africa Medical Journal, 78 (8). Pg 41-44 8. Samson, D & Daft, R. D. (2009). Fundamentals of Management. 3rd Asia Pacific Ed. Pg 170-206. 9. Kumar, K. & Subramanian, R. (1998). Navigating the External Environment. SAM Advanced management journal. Retrieved December 14, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1P1-5377780. html